At present, demand for coffee beverages as pleasure beverages continues to rise, and consumer tastes are diversifying with regard to coffee flavor and aroma.
A method of creating coffee bean roasts having a variety of differing degrees of roasting (from light roasts to Italian roasts) is generally employed as a method for creating diverse coffee flavors and aromas in order to respond to such consumer needs. However, a method of imparting coffee flavor and aroma by causing fermentation to be performed by microorganisms has furthermore been disclosed (see patent reference 1).
The method described in patent reference 1 utilizes the microorganism Aspergillus oryzae. Specifically, ground green coffee beans (nutritive substances) are inoculated with and fermented by A. oryzae and then roasted, and the coffee flavor and aroma components generated at this time are extracted. The extracted coffee flavor and aroma components are then added to coffee products such as coffee extract, roasted coffee beans, ground coffee, and the like, thereby enhancing the coffee flavor and aroma.    Patent Reference 1: JP H1-112950A